


We're Professionals

by 2broke4shoppingaddiction



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: But Still Faithful To The One And Only Boy Wonder, Can You Tell Im Obsessed With Him, Centered Around Spencer, F/M, I Feel Like That One Meme, Light Derek Morgan Appreciation, Mutual Pining, Wanted To Go Out With A Blast, What Happened To The Original Plot, Why Is The Ending So Dramatic, i dont know, im not sure what else, its good I promise, just read it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:42:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29452506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2broke4shoppingaddiction/pseuds/2broke4shoppingaddiction
Summary: You like Spencer. Obviously. Who doesn't? And when a case takes your team to San Francisco, you really wished you could pay attention to anything that wasn't him.
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Reader, Spencer Reid/You
Kudos: 28





	1. The Setup

those brown puppy dog eyes. I could go on for days about them. they always seemed so honest and searching. his eyes were scary sometimes, just a few seconds too long and I swore he could see everything I've ever thought. every fantasy, every daydream, every quick replay of an action shown ceremoniously behind my eyes. that was absolutely the last thing I wanted him to know. that when he looked up from his writings and books, my sick mind imagined him looking up from between my legs. 

"and this is the worst part," Garcia said quickly. she always talked so fast. faster than Spencer even. 

Reid. 

calling everyone by their last name except for him wouldn't look good. 

"a finger stuffed down their throat, but no fingers are missing from anyone of the victims," Garcia continued, snapping me out of my daze. 

"great. that's only extremely confusing," Morgan shot back. he was the one on the phone with her, with Garcia on speaker. 

on our way to San Francisco by the jet to solve a nasty case. 

"or it could make things a great deal easier," Reid offered, "we're looking for someone with access to parts that are no longer needed. a mortician or coroner." 

dont do it, I silently beg. but to no avail. 

Reid brought his lips into his mouth to wet them as he furrowed his brows in thought. 

damn it. 

and just like that, his lips weren't the only thing he wet. 

"right," Hotch concluded: "Reid and Prentiss go see the body, Morgan and (y/l/n) to the crime scene, and I will talk to the police department, see what they have so far." 

I didnt know whether to be thankful or angry. time was of the essence right now, as two victims in one week was so not great. so being with Reid would just distract me. but pairing him with Emily? she was gorgeous. rudely so. 

"(y/l/n), you've been quiet," Morgan said. 

so now everyone looked to me. great. 

"what do they fingers mean? or symbolize?" I asked. 

Prentiss shrugged: "the victimology of pretty, petite blondes should be enough to go on for now. its unlikely that it's even a sexual thing, as the first victim was gay, and there's no sexual orientation information on the other one." 

yeah, yeah, we get it. you're smart, Emily. and pretty. 

~~~~~ 

"just your average dumping site, looks like," Morgan commented. 

an alleyway really only could mean that anyway. 

"yup. body wasn't even posed. just a dumping sight," I repeated dumbly. 

Morgan stood from his crouched position and shook his head. 

"really thought we could get more from this," he sighed. 

"maybe the others had better luck with the autopsy," I suggested. 

"I'll call Reid," Morgan grabbed his phone and walked down the alley. 

I looked around the site again, but still nothing stuck out to me. this wasn't where she was killed, so there wasn't a lot of blood, just a lot of trash bags and graffiti. I was always kind of transfixed on graffiti. if it's on the back of buildings, why should we care and punish it? I guess I just believe in all art forms. 

reading a vertical tag name, I kicked a black trash bag out of the way to get a better look. 

Jushmie. 

interesting tag name. and interesting phone I just uncovered. 

I crouched down to pick it up. it might have belonged to the victim. 

"mission-oriented," Morgan started, walking back up the alley towards me, "cause of death gunshot to the head, no sexual motivation. Hotch said that Charley was a single lady, went to Stanford." 

Charley. so they identified her. 

"low-risk, cut-and-dry murder. why am I thinking this is more about the fingers?" I ask, annoyed. 

of course the part we dont understand is the most important piece. 

"you may be right," Morgan said, "let's meet the others at the station and get set up." 

~~~~~ 

and those lips. I couldn't help only looking at them everytime he talked. I could write a whole essay on the way his lips moved. he seemed to only talk out the front of his mouth, with the corners pressed tightly shut. his bottom lip being the most full, but his top lip smoothed out at the top, like a curved line instead of a cupid's bow. I could continue to talk about what his lips looked like, but I preferred to think about what they felt like. soft and pillowy most likely, and he better- 

"what's that?" Reid asked. 

it was so damn rude to interrupt my fantasies, why didn't anyone understand that? 

but I had totally forgotten about the cell phone until then. taking off my jacket, it fell on the floor in the conference room. 

I bent down to pick it up and replied: "I found it at the scene, thought it might belong to Charley." 

"we'll send the information we can access to Garcia," Hotch said, "until then sit down and let's go over tonight." 

why was he always so snappy? I dont know. it only bothered me a lot. 

"what's tonight?" I asked innocently. I knew how much it would annoy Hotch, and I wanted someone else to be annoyed and miserable with me. 

I was sat next to Reid with Morgan and Prentiss across from us, but that didnt mean I could enjoy being next to him. I hated silently hoping that no one would notice my most likely obvious body language. 

"scouring the town", Hotch replied, "he's picking them up on only four streets, and he's looking for smaller, blonde women. we find the next crime pertaining to this kind of victim, we'll find our unsub." 

"right. how do you propose we split up wisely with us being an odd number?" Morgan inquired. 

Rossi was on vacation, which left us five in the field, unfortunately. 

"I could go with (y/l/n) on the first two streets, and Hotch and Prentiss could take the last two, and Morgan could stay here and talk to Garcia about the contents of the phone," Reid piped up and said quickly. 

I didn't dare look over at him. instead I opted to focus on Emily, who glanced between us. 

when no one said anything, Reid continued: "it would be best to split our best assets with our worst. Hotch is methodical and Prentiss relies on instinct. I'm kind of a genius and..." 

he stopped and then got up from his seat. 

"we dont have a lot of time," he concluded, "it'll be dark soon." 

~~~~~ 

I sat in the passenger seat, being silent. full of silent rage, that is. I could not believe the audacity of Reid. he WAS kind of a genius, so he knew how what he said would sound like before he even started speaking. did I feel like I sometimes contributed nothing? sure. did I sometimes feel dumb and inadequate compared to the others? sure. but saying it outright? I would never. 

Reid hadn't seemed to care, though. he sat in the driver's seat with a pair of binoculars to his eyes. let's not talk about those eyes again. because I was mad at them. I was mad at his whole self. 

"it might not even happen tonight. the unsub's cool-down time is short, but what are the chances he'll take another victim this very night?" Reid asked, still engrossed in the view of the street the binoculars were giving him. 

"I don't know," I said. 

great. way to prove him right with the idea that I was dumb. it would be hard to outsmart a genius, though. so why should i even try to. 

Reid brought down the binoculars and turned his head to look at me. I squinted out the dashboard and pretended to be looking at something. 

at least I had a good view of his hands. his large hands, may I add. they were perfectly proportioned to the long, thin veins that ran up them, though. I always made fun of the girls who found veins attractive, I had called them "mosquitoes." but seeing Reid's hands for the first time changed my mind. but enough about what they look like. let me tell you how I hope I could wear them as a necklace. most of my fantasies involved him touching me with those hands. my face, my throat, my chest, my stomach, my- 

"I'm sorry if what I said earlier upset you," he said. 

I rolled my eyes and looked at the window attached to my door. I didnt even want him in my peripheral vision. he ruined my current train of thought, for one. 

"how could it upset me?" I asked with a ton of attitude, "you only implied I was stupid." 

"I wasn't hoping to just imply it," he shot back quickly. 

I furrowed my brows and turned my head to look at him. I stared right into his eyes, not caring about the effect they would normally have on me. 

"Agent Reid, if you think I'm not qualified for this job, then you can tell Agent Hotchner yourself. but do not go bad-mouthing me to anyone who will listen, we are professionals," I said angrily. 

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said apologetically. 

I closed my eyes and started rubbing my temples. 

"I want people to think i dont like you, the way you make it your goal to make people think you dont like me," he added. 

I rested my head on the headrest and kept my eyes closed. I was too tired for these mind games. 

"because then they'll have no problem pairing us together because they think we wont do anything we shouldn't," Reid continued. 

I opened my eyes and looked into his eyes. I let my eyes flicker down to his lips quickly, I couldnt help it. 

"that's what I thought," Reid gave a small smile. 

"you're really good at hiding it from them," he continued, "but I can tell everytime you look at me, how much you like me." 

I stayed silent, looking out the dashboard. 

"that's not why we're here. and feelings are irrelevant, I have no need to act on them," I said harshly. 

LIAR. my mind screamed. but I wanted to save face. 

"even when those feelings are reciprocated? they're still irrelevant?" he asked, prodding further still. 

I looked at him. 

"we're two professionals, currently at work. we need to... hold on," I said, now looking out his window. 

"hold on?" he asked. 

"look," I pointed out his window. 

a man was harshly dragging a woman by her hand on the other side of the street. 

"pretty blonde," I remarked. 

Reid was already out of the car, gun drawn and jogging towards the couple. 

I followed suit, but opted not to grab my gun. 

"sir, put your hands up!" Reid commanded, pointing his gun at the man. 

"whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," the man said, letting go of the woman and putting his hands up. 

"what's your deal?" the woman asked, glaring at Reid. 

"what two consenting adults do is none of the FBI's business," she said, noticing the vests Reid and I were wearing. 

I took a better look at her. messy hair, red lipstick. plus the wad of cash in her hand was kind of a giveaway. 

"what?" Reid asked, lowering his gun. 

he was doing it again. that furrowed brow in confusion, lips slightly parted. I hate him. 

"I don't judge," the woman explained, "I dont care what they're in to, as long as they're also into paying for it." 

the man still looked horrified, hands never leaving their place in the air. 

I grabbed Reid's arm and pulled him back toward the S.U.V. 

"we're wasting our time here," I said, annoyed that our only lead was nothing. 

~~~~~ 

"Flora's mother reported her missing this morning when she failed to show up and pick up her college books," Hotch explained. 

we were once again gathered at the police station, listening to another story of a victim that was taken last night. 

"this is ridiculous," Morgan shook his head, "we covered those streets all last night." 

"I'm guessing he noticed the presence and chose a different hunting ground," Prentiss added. 

"Precisely," Hotch said. 

he opened his mouth to add something else, but was interrupted by Morgan's phone ringing. Morgan answered it and said: 

"tell me something good, babygirl." 

he put Garcia on speaker and we heard her reply: "well in that case: you. but in the case of the phone (y/l/n) found, there is some interesting correspondence. we already knew that our first victim was out as a lesbian, and a pattern is starting to arise. well, Charley was seemingly dating, or at least seeing a girl named Jackie. I feel like that adds to the victimology. sending her address now." 

"thanks, Garcia," Morgan said and hung up. 

"alright, Reid and (y/l/n) go see Jackie, Morgan, Prentiss go talk to Flora's family. find out if she was homosexual. and I will start searching his usual dump sites. Flora has already been missing for quite some time, it's possible she's already dead," Hotch said. 

at this point it was a sick joke. Reid and I again? surely Hotch didnt find torture funny. 

but was it bad that anything to do with Reid in the room was torture to me? 

~~~~~ 

"of course she wasn't out yet," Jackie said. 

we sat in Jackie's house, letting her vent over the loss of her girlfriend. 

"but I never minded," Jackie continued, "I would gladly wait until she was ready." 

"was there anyone else who knew about Charley?" I asked seriously. 

"why?" Flora looked up from her tissues, "did someone do this to her just because she was gay?!" 

her sadness was turning into anger and I wasn't sure what to say. 

"we're not sure," Reid said honestly. 

"did Charley have any enemies? or someone who would not have taken kindly to finding out about Charley?" I asked. 

Jackie thought for a second and said: "our friend, Micheal. Michael Houser. he's been in love with Charley for so long, and I always suspected he already knew about her and I." 

I nodded and thanked her. 

walking out of Jackie's house, Reid started up the conversation first. 

"that's a promising lead, scorned friend-zoned admirer." 

"but what about the other victims? and Charley was our second, not our first," I asked. 

"maybe the first victim was a surrogate, practicing for when he confronted Charley. then she was just the first turn in a spiral, and the unsub realised how homophobic he is. he started seeking out homosexuals whether they were closeted or not," Reid explained. 

we were back in the car, and Reid was behind the wheel. 

"that means the fingers could be a surrogate for something else, like his pen-" I stopped abruptly. 

this was not the conversation I wanted to have right now. especially with someone who's mentioned part I was constantly day dreaming about. 

I grabbed my phone and dialed Garcia. 

"yes, my lovely?" she crooned into her microphone. 

"can you get me what you can on a Micheal Houser? he was a friend of Charley's." I asked politely. 

"absolutely. searching now..." she said, and I could hear the typing on the line. 

"okay, so!" she said after a couple seconds, "Micheal is a student at Stanford, not involved in any clubs, but does have a part time job at a morgue. kind of a weird pastime." 

I shook my head knowingly, "so Reid was right, someone with access to already dead appendages." 

I hung up and looked over at Reid. 

"you don't have to call me that you know," he said, looking at me deeply. 

"your name? I'll keep that in mind," I snarled back. 

"you can call me Spencer, I have no problem with it." 

"and you can call me nothing, because I dont want you to address me," I said. 

Reid looked down and gave a small smile. 

"is it that obvious I'm submissive?" he asked, still studying down at his hands. 

my jaw dropped in shock. all this time I had been imagining him dominating me, but he was actually into doing it the other way around. but I adapt quickly. 

"let's go question Micheal, we could end this," I say nonchalantly. 

the ride there was silent, and about twenty minutes out. when we finally arrived at our destination, Reid put it in park but didn't unlock the doors. 

"I thought you liked me too. I didnt mean to make you uncomfortable," Reid explained, not looking at me. 

"I do like you. I was just thrown off guard. all this time I've..." I wanted to let him know the things I constantly thought about, but I didnt know how to say it. 

"all this time...?" he prodded. I hated when he did that. 

"I dont want to explain it. let's talk to Micheal." 

getting out of the car, we headed to the front door. 

"should we call for backup?" Reid asked, instinctively touching his gun that was still holstered. 

"no, this is just a questioning," I said calmly. 

"we havent even delivered a profile yet, and there's a possibility this is our unsub," Reid said quietly. 

"I know. we're just working so hard because we have no mutual interest in each other," I said confidently, "we're professionals, remember?" 

knocking on the door, Reid said: "mr. Houser? we'd like to speak with you." 

a minute passed. then the door opened. a blonde, tall man stepped out. 

"yes?" Micheal asked, "can I help you, what's this about?" 

"mr. Houser, we'd like to bring you in for questioning regarding the death of Charley Spay, your friend," I say professionally. yes, we are professionals here. 

"alright, but I don't know what this has to do with me," he said sheepishly. 

he turned around and put his hands behind his back. 

Reid glanced at me and said: "um... mr. Houser why should we be arresting you?" 

Micheal turned around again and replied: "I thought I was being questioned. are we going or not?" 

"okay," I said, "you can head to the car, the backseat." 

we watched Micheal go to the car and waited until he was out of earshot. 

"he's definitely ready to go to jail," I whisper to Reid. 

"yes, someone who was innocent obviously wouldn't want to be heading there. I have a good feeling this is our unsub," he whispered back as we watched Micheal climb into the backseat of the S.U.V. 

"you have a feeling he's our guy just because he likes to be cuffed?" I ask with a scoff, "makes me wonder if there's a possibility you're guilty of something too." 

I couldn't dare to look at his face. I walked to the car calmly and tried to immediately put the thought of Reid in cuffs out of my mind. 

but I'm weak so as we drove to the police station that thought only evolved. specifically, him cuffed to a bed, on his back, underneath me. yup, I definitely evolve quickly. my secret thoughts of being choked by him were now revoked and centered around me choking him. 

"I get a phone call, right?" Micheal asked from in the back. 

great. now even pesky unsubs were bothering my nice thoughts. 

"you havent even been charged with anything," I say, so obviously annoyed, "what the heck are you talking about, my man?" 

my cell rang and I hurriedly answered it. if the others actually found the perpetrator, then maybe we could turn this creep loose. 

"what's up?" I ask, recognizing the number as Emily's. 

"where are you guys?" she asked, worried above all else, "I tried calling Reid but he didnt answer. we found Flora." 

"oh, okay," I answer, "we're on our way." 

I hung up and put my phone back in my pocket. 

"where are we headed?" Reid asked. 

"where we're already going." 

~~~~~ 

"I did not know you two had apprehended a suspect," Hotch said in his usual serious demeanor. 

"we're professionals here," I said matter-of-factly, "there's good cause to believe that he is the unsub." 

Hotch, Prentiss and I were outside the interrogation room, listening to Reid and Morgan talk to Micheal. 

"right now it's pretty much all we have," Prentiss defended, "Flora was openly gay. I briefly talked to Micheal's friends, he isn't too happy about the idea of homosexual females." 

"it's just wrong!" Micheal shouted at Reid. 

the three of us outside the interrogation room turned our attention back to what was happening inside. 

"I think what you found most wrong about it, was the fact that Charley could never love you the way you loved her," Morgan stared him down. 

"I'm done," Micheal sighed, "I want a lawyer." 

Reid was the first to emerge from the room, and Hotch said to him: "and now we'll not know for sure whether or not he is our unsub." 

"not necessarily," Morgan explained, as he closed the room's door behind him, "his cooldown period is almost nonexistent, if there's no body within a couple days, that's a pretty good indicator that (y/l/n) and Reid found our guy." 

"alright. I'll give it forty-eight hours. if no bodies present themselves until then, we'll pursue this lead further," Hotchner said. 

I could see the wheels turning in his head as he formulated a plan. 

"but we cannot keep him here without a charge. so (y/l/n) and Reid, trail Micheal. Morgan, try to find connections between our three victims. Prentiss and I will ask around Stanford. All three of our victims went there," Hotch said. 

and you have GOT to be kidding me. 

Reid glanced at me and twitched the corners of his mouth into a smile. he patted down his hair and looked away. 

~~~~~ 

he rarely fussed with his hair so I know he wanted me to look at it. that gorgeous hair. milk chocolate brown, and it matched his soulful eyes. it looked just so damn soft, and the way it waved and slightly curled made me believe I could study it all day. thanks to what he mentioned earlier, I started to imagine tugging at it roughly. just to put him in a position for his lips to line up with mine. because, yes, his lips were amazing, but I was sure that tongue- 

"at least now we'll have more time to talk about..." Reid trailed off. 

seriously? he interrupted my thoughts just to put out an incomplete one of his own? annoying. 

we were back in the car, staking out Micheal's house. 

"we're professionals, baby," I said strongly, "we cant talk about this right now." 

I could hear his quick intake of breath. 

"that's really not fair," he said quietly and breathily. 

I shook my head: "if you're going to get this hot and bothered about a name, it worries me what you'd be like if I acted out my fantasies with you." 

Reid moaned quietly and shrugged. 

he reached over and grabbed my thigh, gripping tightly. 

what I did next took all my willpower, but I knew it needed to be done. 

I took his hand off my thigh and placed it back on his lap. 

"not now, baby," I said, dragging out a breath. 

he whined beautifully, and I instantly wanted his hands back on me. 

"we're professionals," he repeated. 

~~~~~ 

"another body," Hotch slapped the case file on the table. 

Prentiss, Morgan, Hotch and I sat in the conference room. 

it was the next morning and Linda Heyworth was the next victim. 

Prentiss grabbed the file and looked at it. 

"she's gay," Prentiss said. 

"we already know his victimology, and now we know that Micheal isnt our unsub," Morgan stated. 

I was started to get frustrated. we were basically back to square one. Micheal was the perfect candidate. but tailing him made it obvious that he didn't do it. 

Reid rushed in and brought in a pad of paper. following Hotchner's suit, he slapped it down on top of the file. 

"that's Linda's parent's statement. Linda recently made a friend, Archibald Thomas. he's an older gentleman that would sometimes give her rides from Stanford. he's a night janitor there," Reid said quickly. 

"another lead?" I asked, "what makes him suspicious?" 

"he's Micheal's uncle." 

~~~~~ 

another case closed. Micheal and Archibald were accomplices. there wasn't a victim to save, but there was closure to give to the families. Archibald wanted to help a scorned Micheal from the rejection of Charley. and it all went downhill from there. 

"disgusting," Prentiss said absentmindedly as we all sat on the jet heading back to Virginia. 

I looked up from my notebook and looked at her, since she was sitting across from me. 

"I know, hate crimes like this always are," I reply solemnly. 

"how do you do it?" she asked me. 

"do?" 

"none of this ever matters to you, you're invincible." 

"I just have a good anchor," I said, looking over at Reid. 

he looked at me too, and gave me his amazing quick smile. 

I returned the smile and looked back down at my notebook. it was a sketch of Reid. I was never good at drawing, but taking it slow and steady was helping. I wanted a special picture of him, one that I created myself. 

my phone buzzed and I finished the gentle line that made a small shadow near his jaw. I opened up my phone and saw the message. 

"we're not professionals. my place."


	2. The Knockdown

there were a lot of things I imagined doing when we got back to Virginia, but this was not one of them. standing outside Spencer's apartment door, preparing myself to knock.

I had only texted back a simple "okay" to Spencer's... request? demand? I wasn't sure.

but I was sure I was nervous. I've never seen his apartment before. but I can guess what it's like.

and I really wanted to know. just like I wanted to know what he wanted to see me for. yes. let's keep this professional. let's act like I havent shaved head to toe.

I took a deep breath and knocked.

Spencer opened it quickly, and smiled as soon as he saw it was me.

"come in, come in," he said hurriedly, moving over so I can walk in.

and I was right. papers and books were on every flat surface, and the ceiling-high bookcases were full of books. the place smelt faintly of coffee and his cologne. it had a dark feel to it, with dark mahogany furniture and dark green painted walls. it made me want to copy the style and apply it to my own condo. I loved every detail.

I turned around after my quick assessment to face Spencer who had closed the door. and locked it.

"what's up?" I asked calmly.

he put his hands in his pockets and looked down, his small smile on his face.

"obviously, I... I want you to act out your fantasies you mentioned," he said, looking up at me, searching my face.

I looked around his apartment and shook my head slightly.

"show me the bedroom," I said.

~~~~~

this was definitely one of the things I had imagined. countless times.

Spencer lay on top of me, fully unclothed as I was just in my black underwear. I didnt believe in bras, and Spencer didnt seem to mind.

He looked into my eyes and asked: "so?"

I grabbed his hair and pulled his head back so I could kiss his neck.

"so, what?" I asked back.

Spencer only moaned in reply and I took that as my answer. he might be the one on top, but I promised I would take control.

I let go of his hair and told him: "take off my panties. I'm ready."

he reached down to slide them down and tossed them off the bed. wrapping my legs around his hips again, I grabbed his shoulders and kissed his collarbone. I love those things.

Spencer's hands were on either side of my head, holding himself up above me. he took one hand and reached it down between us. he didn't touch me, but instead I figured he grabbed himself. feeling something at the entrance of myself, I realized I was right.

I groaned, realizing what was happening as he started to push in.

Spencer started gasping and I knew that would make me crazy.

he moved his hand back up to level himself as he started thrusting in, and I decided to grab his throat with one hand, and started raking my nails on his back with the other. I definitely wanted to leave a couple marks.

~~~~~

the aftermath cuddling was great. not as good as the former activity, obviously, but a close second.

that is, until Spencer finally checked his phone.

sitting up in the bed quickly, he simply said: "oh, no."

my heart dropped. only the first day of us messing around and it was going to become so obvious to the others.

"dont tell me we have a case," I looked at him with wide eyes.

grabbing for my phone too, he checked it and slowly looked back at me.

"Hotch called you too, when our phones were on silent," he explained quietly.

"they're going to start looking for us, thinking that something bad happened," I rationalized as I jumped out of the bed and raced around, grabbing my clothes.

Spencer (now about to turn into 'Reid' for me because of the case and our professionalism), followed suit and started getting dressed.

"I'm gonna go home, call back, get my bag and go there to meet them," I said hurriedly.

"I'll call right now and immediately head over," Reid said quicker.

"there's a chance we can save this, but it won't be easy," I said over my shoulder as I walked out.

"but we can do it. we're professionals."

~~~~~

"simple and basic, but that doesn't mean it isnt icky," I heard Garcia say as I walked in the conference room.

I was the last one there, and Hotch was not amused.

I couldn't even use my usual excuse of: 'it's the middle of the night!' since it was currently noon.

I sat down and gave him a meek smile.

"where's this at?" I asked.

"Los Angeles," Garcia continued: "four victims in a month, all with their, you know, heads chopped off and placed next to them. pictures are on your tablets, because I will not be looking. all male, age ranges from 25 to 40."

"any other overlap in victimology?" Prentiss asked.

"nope, just some random Joe's with no ability to play head, shoulders, knees and toes," Garcia wittingly answered.

"and it says that they were found in different bodies of water?" Reid added.

"yes," Garcia turned to him.

"a strange dumping site, not a very smart way to hide the bodies," Reid said, most likely just thinking outloud at this point.

"um... no," I cut in, "he didn't try to hide the bodies at all. no rocks in pockets, no weighing down. maybe he wanted them to be found?"

Reid saw what I was doing and raised me a bit more in the argument: "why would he want them to be found? this brutality speaks to the unsub's rage, like he personally knew his victims. and if that's the case, he could easily be tied to them."

he wasn't being hostile, but there was just enough annoyance in his voice for the others to see.

"it could be a political statement we don't see yet, or he has no ties to the victims, so he doesnt care if they're found," I rolled my eyes this time.

"okay, okay," Hotch cut in as Reid was about to fire back, "we'll discuss this more on the way there. wheels up in twenty."

~~~~~

"is it bad I actually like Los Angeles?" I asked Morgan as he sat next to me on the jet.

"is it bad that I'm annoyed we're going back to California?" he asked back.

I shrugged and looked at the file some more. the team actually hadn't continued discussing it, and instead were studying the case more independently.

Reid was by himself in a corner, Prentiss and Hotch were across from each other, Rossi was still in Florida, and now Morgan sat next to me.

"did you need something?" I looked at him and questioned.

shaking his head and shrugging, Morgan simply responded with a "no."

I looked back at my work and pretended to read the preliminary toxicology report.

Morgan might not affect me as much as Reid, but he was still attractive. I always admired Garcia for saying what was already on everyone's minds.

"actually..." Morgan started back up again after a few seconds.

I didn't take my eyes off my paper and listened intently.

"I'm just confused..." he continued: "it looked like you and Reid were hanging out together since both of you didn't answer our calls for a while, and then you guys arrived within ten minutes of each other. but then you snap at each other whenever the other is speaking."

"very nice work," I said: "so it's obvious, then, that our missed calls have no correlation, because he's annoying and I'm apparently incompetent in his mind."

"yeah, I guess," Morgan said.

"alright," Hotch spoke up so everyone could hear.

that was Morgan and I's cue to get up and sit with Hotch and Prentiss.

I sat next to Prentiss, and Morgan with Hotch. I had a good view of Reid from there, who hadn't moved.

"Prentiss and (y/l/n) go to the M.E," Hotch said, "Morgan and Reid go to the latest scene, and I'll set up with the L.A.P.D"

I nodded and glanced over at Reid again. he still hadn't looked over.

~~~~~

"what a way to go," Prentiss lamented as we looked at the body.

"you're telling me," the female doctor added, "considering losing the head is what killed the victim."

she had told me her name, but I already forgot it.

"jagged cut too," I said, studying what was left of the neck, "not smooth sailing, so this could be caused by anything."

"definitely some kind saw," the doctor answered.

"you can get those anywhere if you know where to look," Prentiss added.

I stared at the neck and zoned out. zoning out while looking at questionable things was my specialty. I felt my eyes unfocus as I thought about Reid again. I wonder if he was genuinely mad at me. maybe it was part of the act. I hope so. he didn't even spare me a glance on the jet. that wasn't good since I already wanted a repeat of last night with him.

"she's long gone," I heard the doctor say.

"(y/l/n)!" Prentiss said firmly.

I jumped and looked at her. after I got out of the shock, I was annoyed.

"what?"

Prentiss looked at me sincerely and then replied: "can we talk in the hallway?"

I didn't answer, but instead walked out there. she followed and closed the door behind her.

"are you okay?" Prentiss asked worryingly.

I loved when she was soft and caring.

I took a deep breath and said: "I am, thank you."

"I never thought Reid was hard to get along with, but you guys just can't settle in," she continued.

"I don't know."

she hadn't really asked a question, but I felt like that statement warranted an 'I don't know.'

she took a long, deliberate look at my face and nodded, looking down.

"sometimes Reid can be more focused on the facts, rather than on others feelings," she said quietly, studying my face again, "don't let that get to you."

I couldn't believe there was ever a time where I disliked her.

~~~~~

we all sat in the conference room at the police department, and started up another conversation. after Prentiss and I went back in to look at the body again, we noticed something.

"the unsub used a taser," Prentiss started.

we had noticed the marks on the victim's stomach.

"he's not strong enough to subdue a victim on his own," Reid concluded, licking his lips.

I told him last night how much I hated that, and he started it up again.

"or her. needing that much help could mean female," I raised my eyebrows.

"and the saw meant that they weren't strong enough for a singular motion," Ptentiss said, nodding at me.

"then these men must have something in common," Morgan added, "she's going after these guys for a reason."

"there really seems not to be any connection between the victims," Hotch said, "some are married, some aren't, some were white collar, some blue. their don't even live relatively close to each other."

"at least we have some time to figure it out," I said hopefully, "a kill a week has been the pattern so far."

"unless they start to devolve," Reid shot out.

"and what indications do we have that point to a devolution?" I asked, pointing my brows and glaring daggers at him.

"we need to look at all the possibilities," he said quietly and slowly, in a very condescending manner.

"I think you're more upset about this case because it's a woman killing men instead of the other way around," I fired quickly.

"Reid! (y/l/n)!" Hotch said firmly, "you two stay behind, Prentiss and Morgan, go talk to the latest victim's wife. you know the lives of the other victims, see if there are any similarities."

the two other agents left and Reid and I were left looking at Hotch.

"I don't know what has gotten into you two," he stated, "but you need to figure it out. this team will not work if you're constantly tearing each other down."

I nodded solemnly, trying my best not to glance at Reid.

Hotch's phone went off and he looked at it briefly before turning back to us.

"you two need to talk it out, and when you do, you can join me at the latest scene. a new victim was found at Debs Lake, right on the shore."

"so the unsub is devolving," Reid said triumphantly, "it's been less than a week."

"and it is a woman," Hotch said to me, "an acrylic nail was found next to the body."

he walked out and closed the door behind him.

Reid and I stared at the door for a few seconds before turning back to each other.

I looked at his lips. I've been missing them all day. forcing myself to look at his eyes wasn't much help either. I love milk chocolate. they were such a dark brown that they seemed to blend in with his black pupils. while I was thinking about how gorgeous they were I realised he was talking.

"(y/f/n), I think we're too good at this, this whole, 'be rude to each other so they won't suspect' idea."

"we just need to find a good medium between being too suspicious and being too icy," I deduced.

"yes," Reid swallowed and leaned forward, trying to reach across the table at me.

I instinctively leaned back and furrowed my eyebrows.

"a good medium is not fucking on this table," I said sternly.

he leaned back in his chair and let out a deep breath.

"what about in the bathroom?" he asked.

I was taken aback: "I am not messing around in a bathroom."

"just a quickie."

"we are professionals, and we are on a job."

"technically, we're not doing anything right now," he tried to reason.

I stood up and said: "we need to meet Hotch."

I started walking to the door but Reid blocked me. thinking it was just a momentary ruse, I side stepped to go around, and he followed.

I faked him out by pretending to go one way, and then squeezed through the opposite.

grabbing my wrist, Reid pulled me into a close hug and looked into my eyes.

"let's go to the bathroom," Reid said seriously.

I couldn't pretend not to want it anymore, not now that I was throbbing.

I nodded and bit my lip.

~~~~~

"what are we going to tell Hotch when we show up late?" I asked as Reid began to unbuckle his pants.

I already pulled down my pants and sat on the counter. a single bathroom really was a blessing.

"we'll think of something," he said absentmindedly, "I highly doubt his first thought will go here."

without another word, Reid closed the distance as I opened my legs impossibly wider.

~~~~~

"we could start looking at surrounding nail shops," Reid offered, "to see if anyone recognizes the handiwork. it's rather intricately detailed."

the broken acrylic nail was medium length, with pink and yellow squiggles on a grey background.

"yes, that would be our best bet," Hotch agreed: "you and Reid can start canvassing some shops tomorrow."

I looked at him with concern.

we didn't really have a lead from anything else, and we still weren't sure why the unsub was doing this, but I felt like this could be a longshot.

"this is going to be part of you and Reid getting along," Hotch broke the silence: "you need to work together."

I nodded.

finding the specific shop where the nails were made would take forever. but at least, during that forever I would be with Reid.

~~~~~

"I hope Prentiss and Morgan are having better luck," I said to Reid as we left our seventh nail shop.

they also went to look through some more shops, and Hotch was going through the victim's lives with Garcia.

"and what are the chances that the exact nail artist is working today?" Reid asked.

I shook my head. this was a waste of time.

Reid's phone went off and he answered with a quick: "Reid."

I am so confused as to how him saying his own name could sound as hot as him saying mine.

he took his lips into his mouth and furrowed his brows again.

I hated it so much when he did that. his concentration face was undeniably sexy, it destroyed me everytime.

"all right, we'll be right there," he said to whoever was on the other side of the line.

he hung up and looked at me.

"who was that?"

"Hotch. he may have found something the victim's had in common."

"then let's go. this nail shop hunt has been less than fruitful," I sigh as I head to the car.

we got in with Reid driving and headed to the station.

~~~~~

"all victim's had messages from an unsaved number," Hotch explained, "and it seems to be some humanitarian organization, trying to get donations. so I had Garcia look closer into their financials, and they did donate to the cause."

"so she killed them over it?" I asked dubiously.

"what is the cause?" Reid asked.

"an effort to clean up water in the California area," Hotch answered.

"ironic," I snorted, "clean it up so this crazy girl can dirty it up again."

I saw Reid flinch when I said 'dirty' and I looked at Hotch with wide eyes to see if he noticed.

thankfully he didn't.

"where are Morgan and Prentiss?" I asked, "shouldn't they be here to hear this too?"

"yes, you'll go meet Morgan at the organization's headquarters, and Reid will meet Prentiss at La Vida's Nail Salon, they will continue recon at the shops," Hotch planned out.

I gave a small smile of relief. no more nail salons, and no more Reid. which meant no more dead ends and no more sexual tension. I didn't even mind that he would be with Prentiss, I started really taking a liking to her.

~~~~~

"hey," Morgan greeted me as Reid dropped me off at the entrance of the big building.

he drove off and I gave Morgan a "hey" back.

I looked up at the the letters that explained what the building was dedicated to: "CLEAR WATERS, CLEAN PLANET."

"I bet I can guess the types of people we'll find here," I said quietly as Morgan opened the door for me.

almost immediately we were greeted by a tall man with dark brown shaggy hair. he was skinny and kind of looked like he did crack for a living.

so like Reid, but not as attractive.

"welcome, welcome!" the man said with lots of bravado, "are you ready to see all that CWCP can offer?"

Morgan took out his badge and flashed it to the man, "actually, we're here for some answers of a different nature."

the man lost his wide smile and nodded: "you're here about Amelia."

"Amelia?" I asked.

"yes," the man gestured us toward some comfy chairs that were near the entrance.

"I'm Joel, by the way. but yes, when I heard about the bodies I knew it had to be Amelia."

"what makes you think that?" Morgan asked seriously.

"she always insisted no one really cared about our mission. sure, people gave their phone numbers as we approached them in parking lots, and yes, they donated funds. but she was very ambitious, always said it was never enough."

"why do you talk about her in the past tense?" I asked.

"she left about a month ago when her mother died. lung cancer. never smoked a day in her life, but you know how LA air is," Joel said sadly.

"do you have an address for Amelia?" Morgan prodded.

Joel shook his head: "she was just a volunteer, we all are. I couldn't even tell you a last name."

we thanked Joel for his time and headed back to Morgan's car.

he got behind the wheel and we sat in the running car for a minute.

"looks like we found her," I said.

"not quite, but we're close, I'll call Garcia and have her track her down," Morgan replied.

I watched him dial the spritely blonde. which meant watching his bicep flex slightly as his hand was brought to his ear. his faint tattoo right below his shoulder rippled slightly and I felt my breath hitch quietly.

I had never really been into muscles too much. obviously, I'm a fan of bean poles, but Morgan was attractive too.

he hung up his phone and I realized I didnt catch anything he said to Garcia, so I hoped he got it all as we drove back to the station.

~~~~~

"yet again (y/l/n) manages to crack the case," Morgan announced as we walked into the conference room, where the rest of the team were sitting.

"so we heard," Reid said, "Garcia found something," he turned toward the phone on the table and told it to: "go ahead Garcia."

"okay, so: Amelia Blahnik, twenty-four, single, full time cashier at Stop 'n Save, volunteered at Clear Waters, Clean Planet up until a month ago, frequents Trixie's Nail Care, according to her bank statements, and..." Garcia trailed off.

"what is it, Garcia?" Hotch said hurriedly.

that's another thing that always bothered me, rush, rush, rush. let her analyze and think, will you?

"oh, this is sad, but kind of makes sense," Garcia started up again, "her dad, Sam, died when she was nine, he was found in the desert, decapitated, and the head was never found. case went cold, although the only lead was a man who started Clear Waters, Clean Planet, on account of the fact that he was the last to see Sam, and it was in an arguing capacity."

"do you have an address, mama?" Morgan inquired.

"you know I do, and a whole lot more for you, baby daddy," Garcia crooned, "8768 Witwood Street."

she hung up and the five of us went to grab our vests before heading out to find Amelia.

~~~~~

it was a tall two-story house, and Hotch instructed Morgan and I to go around the back. Hotch was going to go through the side door, and Prentiss and Reid the front door. it was always a good idea to try and surround the unsub whenever possible. no where to run, no where to hide.

luckily, Amelia held no hostages, and it seemed we would be apprehending her easily. she only held a small knife in her hand, and Hotch started to speak to her.

"Amelia, you've got to come with us, this spree of killing innocent men is not right, and you know it. it's great that you care about the environment, but the real reason you're so keen on the organization is obvious."

I started sneaking up on her, thinking I could surprise her and grab the knife.

"innocent?"

"yes, all those men were innocent," Prentiss said, "they weren't the ones who killed your father."

Amelia must have heard me behind her because she swung around and dug the knife into my shoulder.

Hotch fired two shots at Amelia's back.

I tried my best to stay standing, but the crazy amount of pain searing through my arm was making it too difficult.

Reid ran over and let me put my weight on him.

"bring in medical," Prentiss said into her radio.

Reid opted to set me down gently on the couch, wrapping a throw blanket around the knife and wound.

I looked up at Reid and studied his lips. why did they look so tempting?

"you're going to be okay," Prentiss assured me, kneeling beside the couch.

"I know," I nodded, "just a small cut."

Morgan pulled the curtains from the window and looked out it, saying, "medics and coroner will be here soon, (y/l/n)."

"real professional of me to get stabbed," I said dumbly.

Reid stayed holding onto the blanket as the others watched me carefully, making sure I wasn't going into shock.

"I never was one for professionalism," Reid countered in his deep voice as he leaned down to kiss me gently on the lips. 


End file.
